1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to environmental safety, and particularly to an oil recovery system directed primarily for use aboard oil tanker ships and the like, but which may be adapted for use on the ground as well.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of ever larger oil tanker ships has resulted in the potential for increasingly large oil spills and related accidents. Such potential environmental damage is of course not limited to the seas, but may occur on land as well. Oil spills and similar disasters may occur due to an accident involving a railroad train having one or more oil tanker cars, or perhaps an oil or fuel tanker truck on the highway. Oil spills are of course always a potential occurrence at any oil drilling or pumping site, an oil pipeline, or a refinery or distribution center.
As this potential for environmental damage has been realized, a number of different systems and devices have been developed for the containment of such spills. Devices such as oil containment booms for use on the water, oil and fuel absorbent materials, and other devices and systems are known. Such devices, however, are typically focused solely on the recovery of oil, which has already spilled into the water, rather than minimizing the size of the spill and preventing ever-increasing environmental damage.
Thus, an oil recovery system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.